All NT patrols to carry stun guns
Every police patrol in the NT will carry at least one stun gun by Christmas, with 100 new weapons taking the NT Police total to 230. In 2009, Kwementyaye Rubuntja, 39, died from heart failure after being stunned twice in Alice Springs. The NT coroner found his death may have been linked to the stunning, the ABC reported.
Sept 2010 - Newsletter
Uncertainty brings chance of
major change for the good
A wise Australian polity has told its parliament: "You must do better". Given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, political parties and independents have the chance to improve structures and streamline operating systems for the good of the people. A long time ago, the chambers were places of philosophy and principle, where great ideas resonated and nation building began: CLA suggests some simple ways to start restoring people's faith in politicians.
Read more »...Vulturous ATO preys on the grave
As the Actor represents Everyman, so Paul Hogan represents us all over the bureaucratic inequities of oppressive legality and secrecy laws in Australia. He is now locked in the debtor's prison the nation is becoming, reverting to its penal role two centuries ago.
America the brave hides behind bars
In a recent series of articles, The Economist queries the sanity of the USA locking away more and more people in jails, some for almost unbelievable 'crimes', at increasingly greater cost year by year. There are lessons here for Australia.
Reform committee needs more time,
resources and publicity, CLA says
The processes of an almost 'secret' Senate Select Committee on Reform of the Australian Federation (SCRAF) should re-start completely, CLA says. SCRAF's inquiry was totally swamped by the August 2010 federal election: the questions asked of the committee are too important to be decided without extensive Australia-wide debate and discussion in the full glare of publicity.
Read more »...ELECTION 2010:
Where parties stand on liberties
Updated 19 Aug 10
CLA asked 10 questions of parties (and some independents) standing for the 2010 federal election. Here are the replies of those who took the trouble to respond.
Cartoon: thanks to Inkcinct, John Ditchburn - click to enlarge.
Even in the capital city, Indigenous
Australians suffer disproportionately
Despite adequate resources and general goodwill, 'significant improvement' continues to elude Indigenous Australians, even in the national capital, Aboriginal Justice leader Brendan Church writes. He provides a 10-point list of ways improvement is possible.
Read more »...
Victoria adopts automatic enrolment
The Victorian Legislative Council has passed the Electoral Amendment (Electoral Participation) Bill 2010, which introduces automatic electoral enrolment for all school students on their eighteenth birthdays, and allows election-day enrolment for everyone else.
While the Coalition opposed this bill, which was passed by the ALP and Greens, it is similar to one passed recently in New South Wales with the support of all parties. Rob Hoffman discuss the new arrangements in The Age. Read details in the Parliamentary Library Research Service's brief »...
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